Page 14 of A Queen’s Game (Aithyr Uprising #1)

Chapter Ten

Elyse

E lyse’s heart threatened to burst as it pounded in her chest. Gods, she knew Grytaine would talk about Keyain’s wife; yet, her mind still had blanked, unable to come up with a retort.

Once again, Queen Valeriya had to step in to stop the situation from escalating—the Queen must find her irritating.

After all, what lady in the Queen’s Court couldn’t hold their own?

Her throat remained tight as she raced to the library.

Her father would learn about her reaction at tea, which meant his scolding was inevitable.

Elyse tensed her shoulders at the thought of her father’s raised voice, of sitting in his office as he told her how stupid she was.

That’s what it all led to—any other lady could handle the blow of a called-off engagement.

Elyse, who struggled to look people in the eye as it was, didn’t possess such skill.

She was, as always, a disgrace to her father.

Voices carried from the adjacent hall, causing her to pause. She sighed, wanting to be alone. She darted across before they could say a word to her.

The worst was still to come. Keyain had kept his wife hidden away besides a few personal gatherings.

What would people say once Keyain introduced her to court?

She could already hear the whisperings of how once again Elyse ruined something else.

It didn’t matter if the broken-off betrothal wasn’t her fault; Keyain held a powerful position.

Elyse had more to gain from the arrangement, which meant she also had more to lose.

Her breath quickened at the realization that Keyain was gone and no one stood between her and her father.

She darted around a corner, only to backpedal as she heard another voice from down the hall. More people? Her luck had run out.

With a peek around the corner, she squinted to see Keyain escorting Lady Marietta by the arm.

She seemed off. Her face was too happy, her body too loose.

The only reason she moved through the hall was because Keyain half dragged her.

Though her heart pounded in her chest, she followed the two.

Even from behind, Elyse could tell that the half-elf was beautiful.

Her light brown skin glowed in the golden light, with thick black curls tumbling down her back. Curves graced her hips and waist.

Odd. Neither anger nor jealousy lingered in her emotions like Elyse thought they would. She noticed Keyain’s expression, the smile and the soft voice he used with Marietta. He was with the person he loved—someone Elyse would have never been.

Someone she never wanted to be.

Marietta stopped at a statue with a grin, but Keyain pulled her along.

Grytaine had been wrong—Lady Marietta wasn’t brainless, just drugged.

Elyse was familiar with the drug’s effects, one that made you complacent and your body light.

The same drug her father forced her to take and she despised.

Often she ignored her recurring head pains to avoid taking it, hiding the symptoms from her father.

Keyain and his wife rounded a corner. Elyse took one last look before turning back towards the library.

Large doors of oak and paned glass lead to the library. Beyond them lay the cavernous room, calling to Elyse. It was her safe spot, away from her father and away from all people. It was the only place in the gods’ damned palace where she could breathe.

Flanking the entrance, two guards paused their conversation as Elyse approached.

The one guard was a tall, dark male who always had a slight smile.

If she were bolder, she’d ask him for his name; but every time she went to speak, her hands grew sweaty and her mind emptied.

Instead, she kept her head down and offered a tight-lipped smile to the floor as he held the door open for her.

Like a cloud relinquishing its rain on a muggy day, Elyse took her first full breath since tea time that afternoon.

Refreshing, relieving. The smell of old parchment and leather, the quiet atmosphere, and the dim golden light soothed her mood.

Thank gods no one was coming to look for her here. Not yet, anyway.

She walked through the library lobby, the floors above open to the first with balconies guarded by a railing. Light globes hung above the entry, flanked by two grand staircases to both sides, rising to the two floors.

As expected, it was empty as she passed rows of bookshelves, heading to the back of the first floor.

There sat her sanctuary: an alcove half-forgotten by the palace dwellers.

Most took the books out of the library, never lingering long.

The alcove was small but cozy, with a table settled between two cushioned benches.

The top swung open to the hidden storage underneath.

Elyse rifled through her stash of books, pulling out the pillows she hoarded.

From her pocket, she took out a light globe and set it adrift, the alcove filling with a warm glow.

With the curtains drawn shut, she sank into her spot.

What would her father make her do this time?

Her betrothal to Keyain ended, so he was likely to reprimand her when gossip from tea time reached his ears.

A hard pit formed in the center of her stomach, thinking of her father’s punishments.

Elyse was useful for sweetening his deals, loaning his daughter out as a date for his friends.

Those dinners were long and unnerved her, and her father always ignored their wandering hands.

At least with her betrothal to Keyain, that hadn’t happened in the past five years.

She shuddered. No, she wouldn’t think of it in her safe spot. With the pillows propped up behind her and her legs stretched out across the bench, she began reading. Her book offered adventure beyond the walls of the dreaded palace.

“Elyse?” a male asked through the curtain, causing her to jump. So engrossed in her book, she hadn’t heard the approaching footsteps.

Her head jerked up towards the source of the voice. “Yes?”

The curtain pulled back, revealing a square-jawed male with mousy hair. She sighed at the sight of Kurtys, at his smirk and his stupid face.

“Apologies for bothering you. I saw you walk by, and you always come here. Mind if I sit?”

Annoyed, Elyse turned back to her book. “I mind.” She sighed into her book as he slid into the booth across from her, closing the curtain behind him. Elyse dug her face deeper into the pages.

“I understand that you’re busy,” he said, “but we haven’t spent time together lately.”

“That’s by choice.”

“But you haven’t given me an answer.”

Looking up from her book, she flared her nose with a sigh. “I have, and it’s no. I will not accept your proposal. How many times do I have to tell you this before you leave me alone?”

The young elf, still her senior by half a century, asked to marry her the day after Keyain broke off the betrothal.

Unaware of Kurtys’s proposal, Elyse hadn’t seen the point of telling her father.

For the minor noble to think her father would allow it was laughable.

It didn’t matter that Kurtys worked for her father.

“As many times as it’ll take until you say yes.” Kurtys leaned onto the table towards her.

With a scathing glare, she met his gaze. “First, you know that isn’t up to me. Second, if it were up to me, I still wouldn’t marry you.” She lifted her book to cover her face, ending the conversation.

Fingers appeared over the top of the binding as he leaned across the table, pulling it down from her face. “No need to be so hostile.” She glowered as his voice turned sultry. “I promise to make you happy, to give you every bit of what you want. You won’t be thinking of Keyain’s cock—”

“Out!” she yelled, slamming her book on the table.

“Elyse, don’t do this to me.” Kurtys spread his hands wide, his eyebrows knit together.

“Out,” she yelled, pointing to the library beyond the curtain. “I’ve had enough with you. Leave me alone.”

He snatched her hand as she pulled it away. “Please, give me a chance—”

She jerked her hand from his grip, yelling, “I said leave me alone!”

“You’re an—”

The curtain snapped back, stunning Kurtys mid-sentence.

Elyse held her breath, her hands and feet growing numb.

“Lady Elyse, you sound distressed,” said King Wyltam in his deep, rumbling voice.

She hadn’t been that close to him since she was still betrothed to Keyain—when he still had a reason to speak with her. Dread pooled in her gut.

“Apologies, my King,” Kurtys said with a quick bend of his head. “Elyse never answered my betrothal.”

The King kept his gaze on her. “I addressed Elyse, not you.”

Her body shivered under his stare. Unable to take a breath, she muttered, “I wish to be alone, King Wyltam.”

The King snapped his fingers. “Leave. If I find you cornering Elyse or pressuring her to marry you again, I will remove you from my court.”

To watch Kurtys pale with fear was almost enough for Elyse to forget her dread. The noble scurried away, leaving her alone with the King.

King Wyltam slipped his hands into his pockets, his gaze finding Elyse. “Are you alright?”

Her throat tightened, and finding herself unable to speak, she nodded her head.

The King stared at her book. “ The History of Lyken Fulbryk ? I’m surprised you’re reading about magic.”

She clutched the book to her chest. “I, uh, like to read about people who travel and have seen the world, my King.”

“Fulbryk lived quite the life. Are you able to follow his magic principles?”

She nodded again, her eyes wide as she gawked at him.

“Interesting, since you don’t have formal training. I wonder if you’ll be like your mother.” He paused, tilting his head as he regarded her. “Well, carry on.”

When the King walked away, Elyse released a breath as her shoulders slouched.

Anxiety coiled its way from her gut to her chest, squeezing her heart.

Grytaine at tea, Kurtys pressuring her, and the King’s sudden appearance were all too much.

Wearily, she tucked her knees into her chest, resting her head.

As much as Elyse wished to leave this life behind, she knew she could never do such a thing.

This palace—this court—was her prison, bound by her father, a cruel warder wielding absolute power; but at least in that alcove, she found reprieve with reading the adventures of the well-traveled.

Only there did she dare dream that one day, she too could be free.